Architect Life puts you in charge of your own architectural firm, designing and building homes from 3D blueprints to final construction. It offers two main modes:

• Free Mode: Unrestricted creativity across 60 terrain types. Design homes without client demands or budget limits.
• Career Mode: Manage your firm through 60 unique missions. Design homes based on client needs, terrain, and budget.

Here’s the thing: NACON’s recent simulators have been questionable, and this one is no exception. I played the demo during Steam Next Fest and was disappointed by the poor tutorial and clumsy controls. While this is a subjective opinion, the Steam reviews from recent full release already tell the whole story.

It is supposed to let you design rooms, roofs, and balconies with precise measurements, choosing from various materials, coatings, and furniture. However, players are already noting that while the base game has solid foundations, it’s missing a lot of content. One review even stated: “I bought it to experiment some changes in my own home but it’s nearly impossible to do so.”

The most questionable thing is that Architect Life already has DLCs. The Supporter Edition includes the base game plus two content packs: the Sketch House Pack (for artistic 2D/3D illusions) and the Hobbies Pack (for leisure-themed rooms). You can also buy these DLCs separately. This game is part of NACON’s “Life” series, which has generally received mixed reviews.

In the end, it’s worth trying if you enjoy creative, relaxing building games like The Sims and love designing homes with extensive customization. But, if you’re sensitive to bugs, prefer deeper mechanics, or want more from a game, this one might not be for you. As one reviewer put it: “Good game for making floorplans, general layouts and and somewhat measurements.”

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Forget The Sims and Inzoi for a moment; Small Spaces offers a different kind of creative gameplay. Jokes aside, while it’s not as advanced for structural building, it provides a charming and cozy interior design experience. You’ll fill pre-made spaces and rooms, selecting furniture, decorations, and layouts to optimize limited areas. The game looks amazing, and you unlock more items as you play. Early Access currently includes three room styles, ranging from industrial to Japanese, along with a shop to acquire new items.

Simple building process

When I mention “progress,” it means completing client requests for each of the nine apartments. These are loose objectives, like adding a workspace or a cozy reading nook. Clients might also ask for specific items, such as a sofa, a TV, or even a painting collection, to earn stars that you use in shops. The biggest plus is that there’s a huge catalog of furniture and decor, ranging from beds and sofas to plants, kitchen utensils, and sewing accessories.

Items are placed using a simple drag-and-drop interface, with options to rotate, paint, and adjust them for tight spaces. A “snap-to-grid” system ensures precise placement, and a one-click painting tool handles walls, floors, and surfaces. The game emphasizes modular design, letting you create clever solutions like loft beds or foldable tables to maximize functionality. You can even fit objects inside each other, such as an oven in a cabinet or a stove on top of it.

You can personalize spaces further with indirect lighting, plants, or wall art, creating unique layouts like open-plan kitchens. My biggest complaint, however, is that while redesigning apartments with different styles adds replayability, the lack of a sandbox mode at Early Access launch limits freeform creativity. You can’t truly make your own small spaces and homes from scratch, essentially forcing you to complete the game before fully enjoying all unlocked items.

“There’s a huge catalog of furniture and decor, ranging from beds and sofas to plants.”

Cozy and relaxing, though it has some bugs

Small Spaces does have its share of bugs. For instance, I got stuck in a doorway when switching from top-down to first-person view, and opening doors felt clumsy. Another bug I encountered involved items getting stuck, making them impossible to properly select and delete. Beyond the bugs, some players might find their PC struggling with the game’s graphics as the 3D-rendered apartments are richly detailed, with realistic wood grains, fabric patterns, and metallic finishes.

While highly advanced and realistic, there’s also some visual clutter, such as odd lighting on flat surfaces. The UI also feels clumsy; when you delete an item, you’re not returned to the menu of clicked objects, forcing you to re-click and scroll, which is a bit annoying. Finally, there’s a day and night cycle, but I couldn’t find a way to change it automatically.

Let’s be honest, the progression system feels sparse; you can unlock everything rather quickly, in about two hours, without much effort. While there’s no story, the Early Access version shows great potential for future additions, from a larger catalog of objects to even modding possibilities, which might allow players to add their own creations.

“While highly advanced and realistic, there’s also some visual clutter.”

Worth it if you’re fan of cozy games

If you’re not into cozy games or want more than just decorating, this game isn’t for you. Its gameplay is purely relaxing and engaging, offering a satisfying creative experience for those who enjoy spatial design. In the end, Small Spaces is totally worth it and fun to experiment with. It could truly become a proper hidden gem if it fulfills all its Early Access plans.

Review copy provided by the publisher

4.2

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In Renown, up to 100 players per server compete in a medieval world where every resource and stronghold is up for grabs. You’ll start with basic tools and scavenge materials to build everything from simple shelters to fortresses. You’ll also craft siege weapons like catapults and battering rams to break through enemy defenses. The game’s skill-based combat, inspired by titles like Chivalry 2, demands precision in both one-on-one duels and large battles.

Customization is a core part of Renown’s appeal, letting you personalize your experience down to the smallest details. You can modify everything from your weapons and armor to your strongholds with unique patterns, emblems, skins, and colors, crafting a distinct identity for yourself and your clan. This freedom also extends to combat, where an array of period-accurate weapons like swords, axes, and bows offer diverse playstyles.

The post Medieval Survival Game Renown Just Dropped a New Trailer first appeared on IndieGames.

It’s an understatement to say the demo version is a big disappointment. It’s quite limited, offering only one item per building category. Though the development likely doesn’t cost much, the demo isn’t a true reflection of the game and is playable until the end of Steam Next Fest.

Have We Ever Had a True Croatian Cozy Game?

Let’s start from the beginning: you choose a map, only one was available, set amidst forests and mountains, where you’ll build a cozy little cabin. It’s interesting that before starting, you can select specific object categories to unlock, like painting, fishing, or other interests, with items and structures color-coded. Of course, core items like walls and decorations are always available. Afterward, you build within a clearly marked grid area.

Log Away lacks tutorials, but honestly, you don’t need them. All you need is your creativity and emotion to bring your vision to life on the fields. Some might wonder, “What’s the point of this game?” The charm lies in relaxation, soothing music, and the rustling of leaves and nature, creating a full zen experience. To make it easier, you can switch between free camera and first-person views, and decide whether to see the roof or walls. Once you have an idea and arrange everything, you’ll find you can interact with objects, like opening windows or even petting a dog.

Object categories include furniture, decor, wall elements, plant embellishments, and more. Like Tiny Glade, it features a day-night cycle. Log Away already looks impressive and beautiful, with noticeable detail on every object and a tangible natural beauty in the river. Personally, I found decorating the interior more fun due to its experimental options, while the exterior felt quite sparse. Sadly, I’m not sure why, they didn’t need to unlock the whole game, but at least two items per category would have been enough. As it stands, you’re quite limited in options and can’t do much.

For Those Who Love Relaxation After Other Games

As is typical for such titles, a photo mode is available, letting you create your own screenshots. Additionally, you can switch visual styles, like from modern to pixel art, with the full version promising even more options. Of course, this won’t appeal to everyone, but for a good photo – why not? On the other hand, the soundtrack features tracks inspired by western, country, and blues genres, composed by Chris Haugen, and it’s truly impressive.

Building in this game is very straightforward. You can quickly rotate items, and some can be stacked, like placing a lamp on a cabinet. You have plenty of freedom to choose where and how to place objects, ensuring you’ll find something to your liking. You can even change colors, so it’s not all just brown.

So, if you enjoy decorating by the fireplace or watching a dog fit into the environment you’ve created, Log Away is definitely for you. Just don’t expect something grand, as cozy games generally don’t demand much interactivity but offer plenty of relaxation and creativity.

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In 9 Kings, you start with a small village and build it into a powerful kingdom by playing cards to summon units like knights, warlocks, or imps. The game shines with its chaotic deck-building, letting you create wild combos, such as explosive wizards or necromantic sheep, to defeat enemy kings. Each of the nine kings has a unique deck, and looting enemies unlocks their cards, offering endless strategies.

Sad Socket was founded by childhood friends Andre Young and Rafael da Silva Melo. Young, a YouTube star with around 800k subscribers and creator of Latin America’s largest Game Jam, brought experience from games like Seraph’s Last Stand. Melo, a creative director with a background in film and advertising, shaped the project’s vision. They also shared on Steam: “We’re just two guys chasing a dream”, crediting the community’s 170,000 wishlists for their success.

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You start with a rusty ship and a patch of solid ground, building homes, workshops, and bridges to create a settlement for humanity’s last remnants. But every structure can collapse. The game’s 3D physics system challenges you to balance weight, support, and materials like a real engineer, resembling a high-stakes Jenga gameplay.

Beyond building, you manage a colony of survivors divided into factions: engineers operating cranes, sailors navigating ships, and workers maintaining structures. Each faction has unique needs, forcing you to juggle food supplies, unrest, and tough decisions. Random events like storms, food shortages, or mysterious ocean structures make every playthrough unpredictable, with new locations unlocking as you learn from your colony’s successes and failures.

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The demo will give players a taste of the game’s core mechanics:

• Building production facilities on asteroids
• Creating complex production chains
• Managing interplanetary transport networks

While the full campaign will only be partially available, players will get to meet the main protagonists, space-traveling birds, and test their skills in a specially designed challenge level. Toukana Interactive emphasizes that Star Birds will appeal both to fans of relaxing gameplay with accessible mechanics, as well as veterans of the genre.

Inspired by the distinctive aesthetic and tone of Kurzgesagt, Star Birds offers a bright and humorous take on space colonization, blending sci-fi themes with innovative building mechanics. The game creates a unique atmosphere where birds colonize asteroids, and the new trailer, shown during the Triple-i Initiative Showcase, offers a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming demo.

The post Asteroid-Building Sim Star Birds Will Get a Demo in June first appeared on IndieGames.

The Early Access version will include all core features, though work on the story will continue, with a particular focus on developing narrative chapters. As a feudal lord, you’ll face moral dilemmas and strategic decisions that shape the fate of your subjects. Depending on your choices, your reputation can swing from charismatic ruler to ruthless tyrant. A petition system gives deeper insight into the people’s problems, while diplomatic decisions, whether forming alliances or launching conquests, will influence the course of war and the political landscape.

Beyond political challenges, your success also hinges on smart resource management and capital development. Various building types offer economic benefits, which are crucial for expanding your territory and maintaining kingdom stability. Milord is designed for players who enjoy strategic planning, city management, and morally complex decisions in a medieval setting.

The post Medieval Kingdom Management Sim Milord Enters Early Access Next Week first appeared on IndieGames.

Developer Nils Bremer expressed their surprise at the game’s reception, confessing that they had low expectations for its launch: “I was and still am very surprised. Before release I set a rather low bar for my expectations, because I am just a small solo indie developer and this is the first game I have ever finished and published. And now I am absolutely blown away by the amount of positive feedback I’ve got and very happy the players enjoy their time with the game.”

As their first completed and published game, they focused on keeping the feature list small but polished: “Click Mage is the first game I wanted to finish and publish, so I always kept an eye on keeping the feature list small and doable. That said I also do really quite like the idea of games that focus on a smaller, but well implemented list of features. I also have learned a lot during the development and by actually releasing the game, it now gives me confidence to add more complex features to future projects”, said Bremer.

Currently, the developer is focused on bug fixes and accessibility updates but hinted at possible small DLC expansions in the future: “Since the game was just released, I am currently fully focused on bug fixing and accessibility updates and don’t really have the time to think about future content for now. All I can say is that I do have some ideas for small DLC expansions and a surprisingly big amount of players demanding more content.”

When asked about the game’s sudden popularity, Bremer attributed it to a mix of effort and luck. They had reached out to smaller content creators through Keymailer and direct contact before release, which helped gain initial traction. Unexpectedly, two larger YouTube channels covered the game shortly after its release, bringing in a combined 85,000 views. This exposure pushed Click Mage onto Steam’s “New & Trending” list, significantly boosting visibility.

For a broader perspective, Click Mage has received 92% positive reviews on Steam based on 172 total reviews and reached a peak of 473 players yesterday. These figures are certainly impressive for a small scoped game.

The post Clicker game Click Mage achieved unexpected success as a solo developer project first appeared on IndieGames.

Similar to Tiny Guilds, this game offers a creative and relaxing experience. However, in Islands & Trains, you’re tasked with building islands, not procedurally or randomly generated, but designed entirely by you. This allows you to shape the world exactly how you envision it. Once your islands are set up, you can start creating train tracks and stations to watch your trains traverse the map. To make your world even more beautiful, the game lets you add a variety of decorations, structures, and animals. I was genuinely amazed by the sheer variety of options available, from football fields and churches to wheat fields and swimming pools.

A Cozy, Unforgettable Experience

Islands & Trains is a sandbox game, meaning it offers plenty of interesting terrains and natural features to experiment with. Waterfalls, cliffs, stone walls, and other elements can be incorporated into your designs. The gameplay is simple and intuitive, you select a category, pick an item, and place it wherever you like, rotating and positioning it to your heart’s content.

In the demo, the building space is somewhat limited, but it’s sufficient to create multiple islands connected by train tracks. The train can even carry cargo, though the game’s primary appeal lies in its stress-free, relaxing gameplay. You can take beautiful screenshots, admire the vibrant colors and details, and spend a few minutes unwinding as you tinker with your creations.

The game’s cartoonish art style adds a sense of serenity and charm to the experience. It’s filled with details and thoughtfully designed structures, making it easy to lose yourself in the process of building and exploring. This title isn’t just for fans of cozy games, it’s perfect for anyone looking to take a break from fast-paced experiences like Marvel Rivals and instead immerse themselves in their own creative world. However, starting everything from scratch can be time-consuming, especially when you’re undecided about where to begin. I’m optimistic that the full version will offer this feature to make the initial setup more accessible.

A promising game, though not without its flaws

That said, there are some issues that stood out. For instance, certain textures feel out of place—like football fields looking awkward in the snow, or wheat fields appearing as plain white instead of properly snow-covered. The user interface is also intrusive, taking up a significant portion of the screen. While you can hide it by pressing F, its default positioning obstructs the view. Another annoyance is the item placement system: when you rotate the camera, the item you were holding disappears, forcing you to reselect it.

The winter update introduces many new features, including festive decorations, reindeer, Christmas trees, food stands, and more, allowing you to create a delightful mini-festival. There are also new train engines and wagons with 24 new Christmas assets and winter-themed items and buildings. I’m eager to see what the full version will offer; for now, the game has a lot of intriguing aspects. It’s easy to play, won’t waste your time, and the demo provides plenty of enjoyable gameplay.

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